V/H/S Review

Hello again, ghosts and ghouls!

I feel like it's been a hot second since I've really had time to sit down and watch a horror movie these days. HOWEVER, I figured I'd review and oldie but goodie that I've watched a few times now. If you have any films in particular you'd like to see me review, shoot me an email! I'd love suggestions! You can do that at taylorterriblehorror@gmail.com. We can even just talk horror and be best friends. Cool? Cool.

V/H/S was given a limited release here in the US, but that didn’t stop it from taking the horror scene by storm. It’s an anthology of short horror films, so basically, you’re getting a handful of horror films all in one two-hour period. What horror fan is opposed to that?

Essentially, the film opens up with a group of jerks who want to steal a VHS from a house, in which they find that there is more than just one tape. They begin to check out the footage, only to realize that there’s some really fucked up shit on there that they probably didn’t expect.

I’m not exactly sympathetic if you haven’t seen V/H/S, because you’re kind of three years behind. It’s been talked about endlessly for being a truly original film, and each of the short films within this one weird, twisted story has its own strengths. 

Before i give too much away, I’m going to limit myself to telling you guys about just one of the films. It’s called “Second Honeymoon”; while most of you, I’m sure, will disagree that this is the scariest one of all of them, I was really freaked out. It’s so uncomfortable…anyway, let me tell you about it!

A couple goes on their second honeymoon (hence the name) where they encounter a stranger asking for a ride for the next day. That night, someone takes Sam's (the husband) camcorder that he’s been filming pieces of the honeymoon on, and films the couple sleeping. The camera shoots the intruder sticking Sam’s toothbrush in the toilet and stealing $100 from his wallet before whipping out A KNIFE and holding it up to Stephanie. (At this point I was hyperventilating a little).

Alright, I’ll stop there so I don’t give away any of the good stuff. There are also paranormal shorts that went into this film, so if you’re not looking for a thriller about someone breaking into someone’s personal space, you’ve got some sci-fi, some zombie action, the works.

It truly is a film for everyone, and is worth watching at least once. Never again will you want to hear someone say “I like you”.

I'll be using the rating system that we use over on Nightmarish Conjurings (another horror site I write for)!

Story/Concept: 2

Direction/Style: 1 (I only give this a 1 because I’m not the biggest fan of found-footage…if you enjoy it, this is 500% a 2)

Scares: 1

Atmosphere: 2

Rewatchability: 1.5

TOTAL: 7.5

It truly is a film for everyone, and is worth watching at least once. Never again will you want to hear someone say “I like you”.

With that being said…I like you all…a lot.

Until next time, stay spooky!

Taylor Terrible <3

The Hallow (2015) Review

Just when I thought that the found-footage film was going to take over the horror industry and we'd be left with a bunch of awful films that made our favorite genre look like a joke, director Corin Hardy brought us The Hallow, and I want to kiss him on the mouth for it.

For those of you that were getting so tired of found-footage, this film is going to rock your world. Adam and Claire Hitchens are a couple moving to rural Ireland with their infant son. Adam is a geologist looking to do some research in the surrounding woods...though the locals are telling him to stay away. The creatures in the forest don't take well to visitors...and if you have a baby they'll probably want it.

This film has a little bit of everything for all types of horror fans. If you prefer a slow-burn horror film, you're in for a treat. My only real frustration with this film stemmed from the fact that it took almost an hour for it to pick up and get exciting (I'm an instant-gratification kind of person), but other than that, there's no found-footage (can you tell I hate found-footage?), there's some body horror (one of my favorite types of horror...it freaks me out so bad!) and it's abundant on freaky creatures living in the woods.

When I tell you guys...these creatures are awesome. They were all done with very practical VFX because Hardy didn't want to make them look fake, and trust me, they don't. The sounds they make are awful, too...I was hearing them in my sleep.

While it's not making its way into my top 10 horror films, I do appreciate the film for what it is and I definitely think it's worth a watch if you're feeling tired of the norm in horror (which is lately pretty awful). The Hallow is on VOD now, so I would definitely give it a watch! It's fun, it's stressful, and it's such a breath of fresh air.

Until next time, my creepy people, stay spooky!
Taylor Terrible <3

All Hallows' Eve Review

When you think of Halloween, what's the first thing that comes to mind? For me, it's trick-or-treating in costume while the wind rustles the leaves on the trees as you walk down the street, your costume shoes stomping on the leaves that have already fallen and you hear that satisfying crunch...-sigh-

Naturally, I love all films that revolve around October 31st. Trick 'r Treat is classic, and is in my top 5 favorite horror films of all time. Halloween doesn't get much more iconic. So when I heard about All Hallows' Eve (2013), I said "oh, I'm probably going to love this one!"

                                            photo from screamhorrormag.com


All Hallows' Eve tells the story of a babysitter and the two bratty kids she's watching after their Halloween festivities. They've been trick-or-treating and the night is rapidly coming to a close. The children are sitting around watching movies when Sarah (the babysitter) ushers them to bed. But the bratty brother finds a VHS tape in his trick-or-treat bag (uh...what?) and insists on playing it. After thoroughly disturbing themselves by watching a psychotic clown named Art become the ringleader to the "terror" on the tape, Sarah is left in the house alone while the children sleep. Is someone there with her?

Okay, you guys. I'm not going to lie, I went into this film with insanely high expectations because you all know how much I love, love, LOVE killer clowns. Pennywise is my man, Twisty is my BFF...any evil clown I can find, I will watch and devour with my eyeballs. I'm not scared of clowns, I just adore them. Don't ask me why.

Anyway, I'd heard about this one before, and I saw Art and thought "alright, this is right up my alley, let's go for it!" and then never got around to watching it. Cut to last night, and I was jumping for joy when I found out my friend had it on DVD. Popped it in, and I let the excitement commence...

Except it never came. This actually may be one of the worst films I've ever watched. There's no plot, and what the film lacks in plot, it only slightly makes up for it in gore. Sort of.

You get to see a baby cut out of a woman, and there are "creepy" aliens with noodle arms, but the whole process of getting to the points that are supposed to scare you are unnecessary, kind of annoying, drawn out, and really boring. The VHS itself is cool, it's almost like an anthology but it doesn't make any sense and it never comes together at the end, but nonetheless, it's the easiest part of the film to watch, besides Art.

Art is AWESOME. He's weird, disturbing, and he's very present. He's never lurking in the shadows, he's right in your face (except for the "second film" where he's kind of just a painting).

If you're looking for a good, classic Halloween film, skip over this one and move on to something more sophisticated like Trick 'r Treat. It's essentially the same, but done better.

This one gets a 3.5/10. Womp womp.

Do you guys have any great film suggestions for me? Let me know! Email me at taylorterriblehorror@gmail.com!

Alright guys, tomorrow is my birthday so I'm taking a trip to Sleepy Hollow. I'll let you know how it goes!!

Until next time, stay spooky <3
Taylor Terrible

The Green Inferno: Review

I wanted to post this earlier, but I'm trying to keep my Tuesday posting schedule straight...but I was given the opportunity to see The Green Inferno on September 21st, and it was CRAZY, you guys.
Here's the trailer if you haven't already seen it:

I got the invite through Moviepilot.com, so I had the chance to go in as press, which was awesome in itself. We were checked in and sent up to the top floor of the Regal theater on Broadway in Union Square- the final stop on the Green Inferno fan appreciation tour.

Upon arrival, we were greeted with wine, soda, beers...the whole ordeal was kind of surreal. I felt like a modern-day-creepy-female-Gatsby. I was handed a glass of white wine and I was excited to mingle around with other horror lovers...and then Eli Roth walked out.

Roth and Lorenza Izzo (the star of the film) sat at a table to sign posters for fans and screeners. Naturally, I made a fool out of myself by standing there and staring, and making a joke about how the Red Band trailer made me need to stop eating my bacon, egg and cheese on a bagel. But really, if your film can stop me from eating, it's intense. I eat a lot.

We were slowly filtered into the theater, and once everyone was seated, we were introduced to Eli and Lorenza again, along with the producer of the film, Nicolás López.
The film was deliciously disgusting, incredibly gory, and at one point I felt the wine roiling in my stomach, trying to make its way back out of my throat. BUT I persevered and held it down, and from the particular scene (eye-gauging, tongue-extracting and bone-cutting) on, I was okay. Mostly.
I did have to tell myself to breathe quite a few times because I caught myself holding my breath. I also started craving chicken tenders at one point, so I don't know what kind of person that makes me.

It's incredibly graphic, though. Roth told us at the beginning of the screening that he was trying to make the most violent film ever created. I think he succeeded...and surpassed anything that will be made for a long, long time. 
Also, fun fact, the tribe that he filmed with had no idea what electricity was, so the crew brought a television and a generator and showed the tribe Cannibal Holocaust and they though it was some kind of hilarious joke, and that's when they agreed to portray greedy, crazy cannibal people. 

Anyway, I don't want to give too much away, but the film is insane and beautiful and awesome. I highly, highly suggest it for anyone looking to be grossed out, thrilled, horrified, or all of the above.

Giving this film a rating out of 10, I give it an 8.5!! Make sure you check it out; it'll be in theaters on September 25th!

My Moviepilot!

Hello ghoulies,
For those of you that don't know, I don't only write here, I also write for moviepilot.com. If you want to go directly to my articles, you can find me at: Taylor Terrible.
Those articles include "more fun", less personal posts, more along the lines of quizzes and such. I would love if you checked those out as well!
For my blog, I like to stick to reviews and more personal things as this is a place that I created on my own. I also write reviews for NightmarishConjurings.com every other Friday, so sometimes my reviews are cross-posted.
I never thought that I would be able to say that my little horror family has grown so much, and I want to thank everyone that has been here for the Terrible Toy Chest since the beginning. Your support in my writing means more than you know, even if you've only read a few posts.
I love you all so much! Thank you for being here with me for this!
Love always,
Taylor Terrible

The Hole (2009) Review

I’ve been looking around and I’ve found that there are about a million movies with the name “The Hole”. I got the one that I watched confused with the Kiera Knightley version from 2001, in which the story is completely different from the version I watched. (Oops!)

            So here is the synopsis of the correct film that I watched:

“A pair of brothers stumbles upon a mysterious hole in their basement that leads to the darkest corridors of their fears and nightmares.”

With the help of their new next-door neighbor, the boys decide to investigate the weird happenings in their new home, such as ghostly girls and creepy clowns (my favorite). The hole in their basement is the source of all of their fears once they open it, and they soon find out why it was sealed shut. Essentially, the hole creates everything that you are afraid of and sends it after you. Uh oh.

           

            This story is surprisingly deeper than it lets on. It’s lighthearted and fun, more of a thriller than a horror, however it’s definitely worth the watch. The story is almost sad once you find out what’s going on at the end, so it makes it worth watching all of the way through. I went in to watch the film honestly thinking that it was going to be ridiculous and childish, but, like I said, it’s fun, it’s deep, and you know what? For a much younger cast, the acting was wonderful.

            If you’re looking for a fun, kind of creepy film to watch on a rainy day, this is a good one. It’s not over-the-top classic, but if you have Netflix and need a good suggestion, start here! It’s a quick watch, so at 92 minutes long, it’s easy to get through.

I know this was a super quick review, but it's a short film! I'll be writing a post for next week about my experience at Haunt Faire this weekend.

Until next time, stay spooky,

Taylor Terrible

Can We Stop With the Found-Footage Films Already?!

Alright, this is something that's been on my mind for quite some time now. Typically, when I hear about the release of a new horror film, I get really excited. I usually get pretty elated, actually, because it's always nice to hear about something new within the horror community.

You know, American Horror Story only comes around once a year, and seldom are there horror films that are actually scary these days. Most are remakes. Even more are found footage.
Pardon my French here, but WHAT THE FUCK is going on with all of these found-footage-style films?! Can we cut it out already?!

Let it be known that when I talk about found-footage films, I mean anything handheld. That kind of changes the game for some, because many people see a difference between found-footage and handheld. I guess the best way for me to describe the kind of horror films I'm complaining about is: anything filmed by something like a camcorder, so anything handheld and seen through the POV of a camera. (Just stop it already. STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP.)

Found footage dates back all the way to the 1980's with Cannibal Holocaust which was an absolutely disgusting film and I loved every second of it. However, the progression of these films has gone from gory, interesting and scary (think Blair Witch) to cheesy, overdone, and stupid.

If we're speaking honestly, I think many horror films today are not made to scare horror fans, I think they are typically made to attract an audience that pretends to like horror films. I don't know, maybe it's just me, and maybe people will be angry at me for that statement. Do I believe that horror films deserve the exposure and the money? Yeah, absolutely. With all of the cinematic universes like Marvel and DC taking over, I wish horror got a little bit more love because it tends to be overshadowed.

However, lately, they have been relying entirely on jump scares...and to put it nicely, it's really sad. Where are the Nightmare on Elm Streets? Where are the Hellraisers? Instead, horror fans are put through the atrocities of The Gallows and Paranormal Activity 100000000.

Let's just talk about these awful found-footage films:
As Above So Below is one of the more recent ones I've watched. I don't think I've ever been so bored by a horror film because it's dark, shaky, and all-around not entertaining. There's no substance. Blah.
The Bay. Scary in concept, but the shakiness made me nauseous. I have to say, I kind of enjoyed this one because bacteria terrifies me, but the making was boring.
VHS (the first) was pretty good, but VHS 2: please go away.
Anything Paranormal Activity: I hate you.

But the list goes on. The list is SO LONG, and it seems to be that every film that's been released in the last two years has been something found-footage, and they're all the same story. Does anyone else feel this way? Like they're watching the same horror film every time a new one comes out? No? Alright, well, then I'm a crab.

Maybe I'm just saying bah humbug because I've never really enjoyed found-footage films, yet I keep watching them in an attempt to stay current. Maybe I've never found one that satisfies my taste (besides Grave Encounters, which I love because it sees the humor in those types of films).
I would love to find a found-footage film that makes me want to cry (in the good, horror-loving way, not the bad "I can't take this anymore" way). I want to be scared out of my wits by something that isn't cheesy!

Please, everyone, if you share this sentiment, please let me know. If you love found-footage, please recommend one that is substantial that I may like.
If you want to help me out here, I really enjoy: Hellraiser, anything with creepy dolls, possessions, hospitals. Anything with those topics, or that kind of idea. Just...help me out.

I really just hate this sub-genre. Why does everyone like it so much.

/endrant/

I love y'all,
Taylor Terrible

PS: ugh.

The Damned (2014) Review

Every week, I try to browse Netflix and see if I stumble upon any films that seem interesting. I love when I find a film with pretty okay reviews that I've never heard of before, and that's how I found The Damned.

When a man and his fiancee travel to Bogota, Colombia to find his rebellious daughter and get caught in a flash flood. With no car, the family treks to an old hotel that holds a disturbing secret about the owner and the basement.

The problem that I had with this film is that it was incredibly predictable. As soon as the family discovered what was going on, it was all downhill from there.
What I did enjoy, though (as most of you probably don't know) is that the film is half in Spanish and half in English. I majored in Spanish when I was in college, and I'm pretty proficient in speaking the language, so although there were subtitles, it added to the experience of the film. They make a language barrier a big part of the film to keep you on your toes, because the protagonist has no idea what the locals are trying to tell him.
Although, at the end, suddenly someone who only spoke Spanish in the beginning was fluent in English which threw me off a bit.

I really enjoy paranormal horror films, so this one was decently okay for me. While, like I said before, it was predictable, I did enjoy the storyline behind the possession (although it wasn't explained well) and I mostly enjoyed the acting. The father in the film is pretty cool, to be honest.
All in all, the film was pretty middle of the road for me. I would suggest you watch it once just to see what you think, however I'd never watch it a second time.

If you've seen The Damned, let me know what you thought! I'd love to hear other opinions about it!

We Are Still Here: Review

I recently watched the 2015 film We Are Still Here as per the recommendation of a handful of super excited people. I'd been hearing good things all week, so I told myself, "hey, I'll save this one for a rainy day and it'll be awesome!"

Cut to about two days later...there was a beautiful thunderstorm here in New York and I was so excited to snuggle up burrito-style and turn this flick on.
With the thunder and lightning in the background, I flipped this one on and got myself ready to be terrified.
The story is about a small town that a middle-aged couple moves to after the tragic death of their son. When things start to get a little weird in the house, the couple realizes that there may be someone their besides their beloved Bobby...so they call upon their "psychic" friend to check the house out with her boyfriend.

Things start to go downhill early on, giving you little bits of suspense here and there right off the bat. I feel like things are very stop-and-go; a lot of the suspense and jump scares happen very abruptly and they're kind of expected.
I have to say, the story itself is good. It's a pretty typical house-haunting-type film, but the story of the house and the history is fun.
The characters are really well-written, however the casting left a lot to be desired. I found the acting really cheesy to the point where I was having a hard time getting into the story.
The entities floating around the house getting crabby and nasty were pretty terrifying. I won't get too far into where they come from or what their deal is because it's very well-explained in the film, but what you should know is that two of them are kids, which is one of the things that freaks me out the most. Ick.

Overall, I liked the film. Maybe not enough to watch it again, but I do recommend it as a film that you check out at least once so you can join in on the conversation about it!
I give it a 6/10, a little better than halfway there but the acting really ruined it for me. The entities and the deaths are what got the rating up there for me...if you guys enjoy gore like I do, this one has PLENTY. I promise, it doesn't start off too gory, but once you get a little ways in...BAM. Body parts flying everywhere. Thumbs up on that for me.

Happy haunting, my spookies...let me know what you think of We Are Still Here!
Taylor Terrible <3

Sinister Review

Hello again, my creepies!

So in the midst of all of life's craziness, I was called to a friend's house to hang out and watch a movie. You'll have to read the review what I thought of said movie, which was Sinister (2012).

Here I was, sitting on the mattress-made-couch in my friend's living room. We sat around eating dumplings and hot-and-sour soup and joking about our high school experiences from the past, when my friend perked up and said "hey, I have Sinister on Bluray and I haven't cracked it open yet, anyone want to watch?"
There was an excited "YES!" from everyone in the room, aside from myself, who sat indifferent. I'd heard of Sinister, don't get me wrong. I knew that it existed. I just hadn't gotten around to watching it and I had NO idea what it was about.

And so we watched.

The opening scene- a family being hung from a tree. Alright, disturbing. But way to try to reel me in with some cheap thrills, Sinister.

One hour in. I was begging them to turn it off. Was I bored? No. Was I unhappy with the storyline? No.
I was so terrified of the death scenes that I had my hands over my eyes to distract myself from the horror that was happening. There's just something about watching a family get drowned to death in their own pool while strapped to their lounge chairs (and watching their feet twitch as they try to escape) that made me lose it. Maybe it was the music.

It freaks me out every single time. It's horrible. I've always known music has a huge impact on how a film flows, but I never thought that it would disturb me this much. (This was when I started saying "Okay, do you guys want to do something else now?")

But alas, I made it to the end of the film. My body felt like an overcooked noodle. Mentally, I was shot. Every sound around me made me jump out of my skin. It made me despise children.
So it did its job.

For those of you that have never seen Sinister, I rate it as one of the top 5 scariest horror films I've ever watched. The story is realistic, brutal, and it makes you hope that you don't have any kids living in your house.
Mr. Boogie, or Buhguul, isn't nearly as involved as I wish he was, though the sequel looks like it's going to involve him much more (and it comes out in August, you guys! Yay!) but he's still scary. I like that he's not the center of attention- the weird looking antagonist doesn't steal the show, but what Ellison (the main protagonist) is going through takes the main stage, and everything going on around him is like a well-orchestrated horror choreography of terrifying, gory, horribleness.

If I was going to rate this film out of 10, I give it a 9.5. I wanted to be scared by a horror movie, and it totally delivered. I am SO HAPPY I finally got around to watching this film. So many thumbs up.

Until next time, spooks,
Taylor Terrible

Red Lights (2012) Review

Guys. Honestly, I had no idea this movie existed, but I am so glad  I stumbled across it on Netflix. I was just looking for a good horror movie to watch and I checked out the ratings on this one, and I saw it had a pretty fabulous cast, and I said to myself "hey, why the heck not".
Now, I don't consider this film a horror film. It's not scary and it doesn't have jump scares, but it is a thriller.
Red Lights tells the story of Margaret Matheson (Sigourney Weaver) and her assistant (Cillian Murphy) trying to disprove psychic phenomena. Until now, they were doing really well, exposing fraud and letting the world know that psychics aren't real, until Simon Silver (Robert De Niro) comes back from his retirement as one of the world's best physics...mysteriously after his biggest critic dies of a heart attack.

First of all, the cast is incredible. I can never complain about Sigourney Weaver, I kind of have a huge girl crush on her, and then there's the ineffable Robert De Niro, and the insanely talented Cillian Murphy.
This movie totally changed the way I saw him...he's a really, really talented actor with beautifully chiseled cheekbones and a ridiculous jawline. Look out world, this guy's fabulous. He was by far my favorite part of the film.

As far as the story goes, I'm not the kind of person that can sit through a movie without wanting to get up at least once to grab a snack, get some water, or I just generally get bored and need a break...but this one kept me enthralled from beginning to end. Robert De Niro is the best love-to-hate semi-antagonist ever, Sigourney Weaver plays an awesomely frustrated doctor, and Cillian Murphy is the most loveable angsty assistant.
Personally, as someone who wants to be skeptical about psychics (I had an experience about 3 or 4 years ago with a medium that made me doubt my skepticism), this movie was cool to watch. It made me wonder if people really take it all that seriously where they devote their lives to trying to disprove the existence of any type of paranormal anything.
As a paranormal investigator, I like to believe that there's something after death. This film made me question it, then believe in it, then question it all over again. My mind was running laps the whole time, and I have to say, I was really, really impressed overall.

While, like I said, it isn't a horror film, I still suggest it for people that are into the idea of the paranormal, psychic abilities, or just people that enjoy a good movie (which I hope is all of you).
Let me know if you've seen it, I would love to hear other opinions!

Until next time, my spooks. <3
Taylor Terrible

The New Pennywise is Only 21?!

There is speculation floating around the internet that Will Poulter of "We're the Millers" is in negotiations to play Pennywise the Dancing Clown in the remake of Stephen King's "It" and I'm freaking out.
I don't know if I'm freaking out in a good way or a bad way, but I'm freaking out.
As most of you know (or at least I think most of you know), my top 3 horror films of all time are Hellraiser, It, and Trick 'r Treat (in that order). It's a big deal for Hollywood to be remaking one of the classics, especially for me, because I think I saw It for the first time when I was about 9 and fell in love with killer clowns after that...
But what concerns me is the fact that Tim Curry will not be playing Pennywise. He made Pennywise one of the most iconic horror villains of all time; something nightmares were made of. Clowns became something other than a fun circus attraction- they became something to be feared. I feel that Curry is irreplaceable, and I by no means think that they're trying to replace him, but I think it will be hard to be on-par with his performance.

The plan is for the film to be broken up into two feature-length films, I assume to accommodate the child side of the book, and the adult side. For those of you that have not read the books but have seen the film, the film is awesome, but doesn't do the book the justice it deserves. There is so much more character development that needs to be seen that isn't acknowledged in the original film, and I think it was to fit time constraints because if they had followed the book, the film would have probably been about 6 hours.
SO! They will be splitting it into the two 2-hour films. Or so I assume. I'm also assuming that if the plan is to stay true to the books, that the films will be much more graphic this time around.

What do you guys think about the casting decision?!

The Bay (2012) Review

So I know I said I wasn't going to do so many reviews, but this film ruined my life (in a good way because it was terrifying) so I wanted you all to know about it.

There are plenty of things in the world that are absolutely horrifying. You know, like spiders, clowns, blood, feet…to each their own! Now, here’s the point of the former sentence: not everyone is scared of these things.

Something that everyone SHOULD be afraid of? Your local government poisoning your water with chicken poop, then you drink it and turn into a boil-covered, creepy mess of blood and guts falling out of you because a parasite invaded your body and ate your organs from the inside out.

If you’re not scared of that, I’m pretty sure you’re a liar. Or, I’m going to have to hang out with you. You’re going to help me survive the zombie apocalypse.

But The Bay (2012) tells the story of a small town in Maryland where a parasitic outbreak compromises the water, and the health of everyone in town.

It’s a found-footage film, which is normally not the type of film I enjoy. I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned this in past posts, because I have a problem believing that it’s “found-footage” because I know I’m watching a film. I don’t know, maybe that’s just a weird issue that only I have- I just feel like I know deep down that it’s fake and I’m never able to get into it.

But halfway through this film, I had my boyfriend nudging me to make sure that I was okay because he could tell that my anxiety level was through the roof.

If you all want to know my biggest fear, here it is: contagious diseases that have no cure. Anything that could contribute to zombies walking the earth, like an illness that would make you want to eat someone’s flesh. Don’t talk to me about it. It makes me so nervous.

I think it’s pretty reasonable, considering it could happen.

As the film develops, you begin to follow three different (yet equally important) people. (There are more than these three stories, however these were the three that caught my interest the most). One is an inexperienced news reporter who has decided to document the July 4th festivities of Chesapeake Bay, another is a teenage girl who is trying to FaceTime with her friend to explain to her that something is going horribly wrong in her hometown. And last but not least is the doctor who is dealing with the patients that are arriving (waves at a time) into his emergency room. 

These poor people become the only people left around when the parasite begins eating away at everyone in the town. They watch people they know get torn apart from the inside out, kill themselves to escape their inevitable fate…honestly the film is horrific. I had a really, really hard time watching it; my stomach was in knots (both because of the tension and because of the gross gory scenes that were just all-around disgusting) and I decided I never want to drink unfiltered water again.

While I’m sure that I’ll get over my fear of tap water, I don’t know if I’ll be able to get over my fear of crazy parasites running rampant around my town, considering I think it’s something that’s plausible…maybe it’s totally irrational.

Back me up here, guys.

I don’t know if I’d ever rewatch this film just because I didn’t like the shakiness of the found-footage aspect of the film, but other than that, this one is probably one of the creepiest horror films I’ve seen in a while.

My advice to all of you if you feel like you haven’t seen a good scary movie in a while: watch this one, or find a film that targets exactly what you’re afraid of. It’ll work (almost) ever time.

Until next time, my creepy crawlers!

Taylor Terrible

It Follows Review

Seeing It Follows came to me spontaneously...my plan was to go to work, and then go straight home and go to sleep. However, my friend texted me asking if I had any interest in seeing it, and considering it's received reviews such as "the scariest horror film in decades", I figured it would be in my best interest to go see it.

Basically, if you haven't seen it yet and you want to know the synopsis, I feel like this whole film is an innuendo about STDs...I could be totally off but that's the way it seems to me.
A girl sleeps with a guy she kind of just met, and contracts something he eludes to as "the following". Anyone who contracts it from someone essentially sees people walking at them. Yes, very odd-looking people, walking slowly at them. They stare, and for some reason, they're unnecessarily naked, because most of this film is overly sexualized.
So, the only way to "get rid of it", is to pass it on to someone else the same way you contracted it. By sleeping with someone.

Anyway, like I said before, the film is overly sexualized, like someone was trying to make a horror-porn. Most of the "followers", I guess I'll call them, are walking around with their shirts cut too low...or their robe is open...or they're not wearing a shirt at all. There's an ample showing of breasts in this film, if that's something you need in your horror. Personally, I'd prefer to be scared than have to be entertained by naked women. That also happens. Women are completely naked.
And it's not just limited to women- you have a naked man standing on a roof, as well. -sigh-

The acting was wonderful. I really enjoyed the cast; they seemed to fit their roles very well. That part was not a disappointment for me at all.

The story was terrifying in concept, but in execution, I think it lacked something. It wasn't extravagant and in-your-face the way some films are, but there were jump-scares in place of where real terror and suspense could have been. I don't know, maybe it's just me, and maybe I'm jaded by horror films by now. I sure hope not...

So for those of you looking to go see a different kind of horror film, this one is definitely worth checking out. I'd like to hear opinions on it, because I know my friend and I were both pretty disappointed, but many people are saying that they were totally terrified by it.

Let me know what you guys thought!!

Nightlight Review

What scares you the most? Killer clowns? Serial killers? Or perhaps what lurks in the dark?
"Nightlight" delves into what happens when a group of friends travels into the woods after a classmate commits suicide there, to play what they call "flashlight games". But are they really just playing a game? Or is there something in the woods with them, watching their every move? More importantly, will it let them leave?

I am terrified of the dark. It's something I don't like to admit as a horror fan, because it seems a little silly...how does someone that loves blood and gore and all things horror-related not like the dark? There's just something about not being able to see what could be on any side of you that makes my skin crawl. I know I'm not the only one, you can all stop lying...okay, maybe I'm just a big baby.

Here’s my own personal review of the film:

Nightlight was a film that literally played on my exact worst fear: being unaware of what is skulking in the shadows. I'm normally wary of found-footage-type films because I typically find them to be cheesy, but this concept was different- the film is seen through the point-of-view of a flashlight. What the flashlight is pointed at is what you see, so it's like you're seeing exactly what each character is seeing. Well, that means you can't see what's behind you, and when you're in the woods late at night when everyone told you not to go there, you can only assume some crazy, scary stuff is going to happen.
The character dynamic is really fun, because it's realistic. There's the "nerdy girl" Robin (Shelby Young), trying to fit in with the group of popular kids. There's Nia (Chloe Bridges), the beautiful, popular girl winning everyone's attention, there's Amelia (Taylor Ashley Murphy), the best friend of the popular girl who does her best to let her personality shine through, but is overshadowed by her friend, Ben (Mitch Hewer), the beautiful love interest of just about everyone, and Chris (Carter Jenkins), who is the jokester of the group. It's the exact group of people we see in our everyday lives. You find yourself rooting for the underdog, Robin, to rise up and overcome all of the obstacles the group faces while they're in the deep, dark woods...

Now, if your fear is the dark, you've got it. If your fear is being attacked by a wild animal, you've got it. If you have a fear of paranormal entities and demons, it's here. This film touches on some of the most terrifying things that people claim to experience all of the time. That's what makes it feel so real and relatable.
It's got jump-scares galore; I'm not going to lie, I jumped out of my skin a few times. The suspense, as well, is plentiful and intense. There were many times that I was gripping my blanket, yelling "no, no, no!" The anticipation of what's going to come out of the dark is enough to make your head spin, but what actually comes at you...that's where the true terror is. It's stuff of nightmares, you guys. I'm telling you.
This is going to be a tough film to top in 2015, considering there are so many different kinds of fear involved, plus that brand new perspective.

I would absolutely recommend you give this film a watch. The trailer is creepy in itself, but the film as a whole is well-done, and definitely scary.

Friday Post!

Hello my ghosts and ghouls. You're probably all reading this on Thursday, because I always post on Tuesday and Thursday. I have a review coming for you on Friday, but the film hasn't been released yet, so I was told to hold off until the 27th to release my opinion.
Therefore, I will let you all know that I'll be posting my review on Friday, the 27th at my usual time! Check back then!! But for now...here's the trailer:

MonsterMania Convention: I'm So Excited!

In true Taylor fashion, I waited until the last minute to book my tickets to MonsterMania Con in New Jersey. About a week ago, my other half snagged us tickets, and I was so thrilled to check the list of guests going!
Daveigh Chase, who I'm super excited about, is going to be there, and you guys probably know her as Samara from The Ring.
You have like half of the people from the Saw franchise.
Adam Green will be there (just weeks after I watched Digging Up the Marrow!) and he'll be supporting charities supporting Yorkie rescues! For those of you that know me well, you know that I work with LUSH Cosmetics and I'm obsessed with all things cruelty-free.
Kane Hodder will be there, who is not only one of the actors that played Jason in the Friday the 13th franchise...he's also a fellow paranormal investigator!

But then...
We continue scrolling and...what is this? Wait, repeat that?
JOHN CARROLL LYNCH. TWISTY THE CLOWN. WHAT?! I almost cried and died and threw up all at the same time. That's where my excitement really kicked in.
I'm totally going to have him sign my stuffed Twisty that I had made for me.

I attended Bizarre AC last year, and I plan on going back this year (when they release a date), but until then, I'm beyond thrilled to be going to this con! I'm just trying to decide if I want to dress up...the plan would be a female Pennywise the Clown.

This was a super short post, but I'm trying to get everything together for the 13th! I hope to see some of you horror ghoulies there, after all, it will be Friday the 13th...

As Above So Below: Ugh.

I think the title says it all. This post is going to be more of a rant than a review. I can't believe how disappointed I was with this film- I was so excited to see it when it came out in 2014, but for some reason I never got around to it. Maybe it was the universe's way of saving me time.

I watched this one yesterday, which will be 3 days ago when you guys read this, and every time I think about it, I get more sad.  I ended up checking Instagram through most of the last half of the film because I was just so horrifically bored. 

Let's get one thing straight: the concept sounded awesome. A woman searching to fulfill her father's legacy by finding the Philosopher's Stone in the collapsing catacombs of Paris? Sounds pretty sweet. Especially when you find out it's "haunted". I mean, in theory, it's cool. Then you watch the actual film.

-pause- I should have listened to the 27% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Okay, so it grips you and doesn't let go from the first five minutes when you think the protagonist is going to die, but because she's the protagonist, you know that isn't going to happen. Is it thrilling? At some points, like maybe when the phone is ringing and you don't know why...or when the wall people are attacking, I guess.

But let's just talk about those rushed, awful deaths throughout the film. It's like they advertise that you hear these delicately crafted backstories throughout the movie, building up to the point where the characters finally face their fear and deal with what their demon is...but that never happens. Sorry, to those of you that enjoyed this one, you're crazy if you think that these backstories were well done. I never felt like I got to know any of the characters at all with the exception of the main woman, and I can't even remember her name.

Essentially, the only good part of the film was the first 30 minutes. I liked the initial establishment of the entity that was taunting the group, but from then on, I was so bored that I almost shut it off, but I paid $6 on demand to watch it so I figured I should watch it all the way through.

The end of the movie was what really did me in, because there wasn't one. Nothing is resolved, nothing is fixed, nothing is proven, and nothing is explained. You just watched this WHOLE MOVIE waiting to find out if their efforts are successful, and you have NO IDEA WHAT HAPPENS AFTER?!

You guys. I honestly don't understand how this ended up as awful as it did. It looked like it was done so well, and ultimately, I don't remember the last time I watched a movie this bad. I'm sorry if you liked this one, but I really don't have any good to say about this one.

Let me know what you thought, especially if you didn't like it so we can be on the same page!

I'm still working on that video of my HorrorBlock unboxing for you guys, it's been rough. Until next time, my creeps!

Horns (2013): A Review

Hey guys! I know I promised a HorrorBlock unboxing in my last post, and trust me, I tried. I recorded it at LEAST 8 times, and each time the computer froze (it even does it in the final cut I got, I couldn't do anything about it, and I'm still getting used to this whole video-making thing...I'm trying to do it all on my own!) so I kept the last cut, and if you're reading this, it means the video didn't process in time to post for you guys this Thursday. I'm going to keep working at it though, I promise!
I've tried to upload it so many times, and every time it just tells me an unexpected error occurred. -sigh- I pinky swear, that video will be up and running eventually. It's all filmed. I swear.

So, in the meantime, I saw an awesome film this week! See title.

I had heard a ton about this one just from seeing people post the picture above on Instagram. I didn't know it was on Netflix until a few days ago (I'm behind on the times, you all know this) but I had a few moments to myself so I sat down and watched this.

I have to say, I'm very impressed. First of all, visually, I thought the film was stunning. The scenery in the woods is beautiful, and it made me pine for a treehouse. Get it? Pine? Because they're in the woods?
...I digress.

Daniel Radcliffe's performance was outstanding. He's emotional, he's insane, he's so sane it hurts, and he's hilarious. Honestly, the whole film is a rollercoaster ride of emotions the entire time. I caught myself tearing up towards the end. What horror film makes you emotional? Unless it's disgust, of course, or your favorite hero dies.

Here's a brief summary without spoilers, so for those of you that haven't seen this one yet, you can keep reading:
Ig Perrish lives in a small town where he falls in love with his childhood sweetheart at church. Cut to the fact that the entire town is condemning him to hell, because Merrin (the love of his life) has been murdered, and everyone thinks he did it. He spends the next week or so attempting to prove his innocence, but not without growing a huge set of horns on his forehead.
It all makes sense when you watch the film, I promise.

Ig vows that the power of the horns will lead him to good, and ultimately to finding Merrin's killer, allowing her to finally rest in peace, with her tragic story being told.

Honestly, this super brief synopsis does the film no justice. There are so many more details that are important, but if you haven't had a chance to watch this film I really, truly encourage you to do so. It put things in perspective for me in my personal life, but not without entertaining me with some gore, violence, a handful of sex scenes, and a very angry Daniel Radcliffe looking like Satan.

I know, I know, I'm raving about this one. I don't do it often because I usually go into films very skeptical. This was no exception, but it completely turned me around. It was a beautiful film. I don't have enough good things to say.

Let me know if you guys end up watching, and tell me what you think! How did you like it?!
Until next time!

Nightbreed (1990) Review: WTF Why Didn't I Watch This Sooner?!

Excuse me, why didn't any of you guys tell me about Nightbreed? It's okay, I forgive you.
I'd heard of it in passing, but in my true fashion, I was the last to watch it. I'm sure this movie is huge, because it's directed by the beautiful Mr. Clive Barker (he also wrote the book that inspired the film), and I somehow just never watched it. It's on Netflix, Taylor. WHAT have you been doing?

As a Hellraiser fan, you would think that I would go ahead and try to find all of the works by Mr. Barker, but I don't necessarily work that way. I probably should, considering it seems like his works are all very similar, it just depends on the date. Take Midnight Meat Train for example. I adored it, and found out it was Clive after the fact. (If you haven't seen it, the story is wonderful, Bradley Cooper is wonderful (and not bad to look at), the antagonist is thrilling. But I'll save my love for that one for another time.)
This one reminds me a lot of Hellraiser in the sense that there are a group of crazy-looking fools running around wanting to kill humans, that kind of look like they would be Cenobites, but they are in fact Nightbreeds. What does this mean, you ask? Here's a synopsis:

***SPOILER ALERT, IF YOU DON'T WANT ME TO RUIN IT STOP READING...I'll still love you.***

Aaron Boone is slightly mentally unstable, seeing a psychotherapist to help with his crazy dreams he's been having about a place called Midian. He's never been there, but he sees it vividly when he's dreaming, so he knows exactly what it looks like and who the creatures are that live there. His therapist is a huge jerk, and convinces him he's a serial killer. He gives him what Aaron believes is Lithium to calm him down, but it turns out his (SUPER HUGE JERK) of a therapist gave him a hallucinogen. He ends up in the hospital, meets a patient who also knows of Midian, and he gives Boone directions to get there. He then promptly rips the skin off of his face (hooray!).
Since he was in the hospital (after jumping in front of a truck while tripping out of his mind), he escapes when the doctors come to help his roommate. This sets off a police chase to go find him, but he's at Midian (because why wouldn't you go to a crazy-looking graveyard while you're high?!). He meets a few of the Nightbreeds there, tries to join them, and they tell him no, but not without trying to attack and eat him. He does get bitten, though, and that's when all the fun starts.

I don't want to give away too much, although the synopsis in itself is probably pretty confusing. I guess you'll just have to watch. But here's my review:
The film itself is really entertaining. I'm normally very picky, I like to find things wrong with films, but this one was great. They brought two (or three if you also want to count the love story smooshed in between a serial killer and a "mental patient"-turned-Nightbreed. Honestly, it's a great story about tolerance between social groups, if you want to get really deep.
I loved the makeup, I loved the personalities of the characters, and I loved that half of the Hellraiser cast was in it. Doug Bradley, Nicholas Vince, and Simon Bamford were all prevalent in this film. The only Cenobite missing was Miss Barbie Wilde.
The music was also a big factor in my love for this film. It was so, so awesome to listen to. That's something I don't typically look too closely at, but this time it stood out to me as a really important part of the story. It pulled everything together.
If this film was out of 5 stars, I would give it a 4.5, taking away that .5 only because I was never really scared, but it was graphic enough to cover that up.
If you haven't seen this one already, I absolutely recommend it! Leave me a comment to tell me if you love it as much as I do. Until next time!